Krasovic: Was Philip Rivers overrated?

Entering the NFL season in 2011, I asked three members of the San Diego media who is the better quarterback, Philip Rivers or Aaron Rodgers, and all three selected Rivers.

Rodgers was coming off a year in which he led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory. He had shown a stronger arm than Rivers, along with a comparably rapid release. Asked by his coach to beat the Steelers, he had made powerful precision throws that ranked among the best in Super Bowl history. Similar to Rivers in terms of in-pocket mobility and feel, Rodgers had the extra dimension of being able to run away from linemen and even linebackers. He was better at throwing on the run, too.

So why choose Rivers?

Rivers, the respondents noted, had a longer track record of high-level success in the NFL.

While that was true, I think it was only natural for observers to over-rate Rivers a little, and I think it happened outside of San Diego, too, among the pundits.

Make no mistake: Rivers was a good quarterback and still can be one.

But he also was thriving in a very good environment.

Few quarterbacks entered a better situation than Rivers did when he came to the NFL in 2004, having been tutored at North Carolina State by Norm Chow, one of the college game’s brighter teachers of offense and quarterbacking.

The NFL was in the midst of again tweaking its rules to favor passers, pass blockers and pass-catchers, thus reducing the elements of fear and intimidation that quarterbacks had to endure, not to mention the number of hits.

For two seasons to start his career, Rivers apprenticed under Drew Brees, who as it turned out, was soon to become one of the better quarterbacks of his era.

When Brees left, Rivers was given the keys to a fast sturdy car. He didn’t have to make due with an inferior model. That’s not often the case with a young quarterback.

If Troy Aikman is to be believed, Rivers had the best playcaller in NFL history guiding him in Norv Turner, who, I happen to think, is adept at designing an offense and game-planning during the week. (Rivers was the starter for one year under Cam Cameron, now the playcaller in Baltimore for Joe Flacco.)

There were a lot of easy yards to be had, to be sure, at all levels of the passing game. Darren Sproles and LaDainian Tomlinson could take short passes for big gains. Antonio Gates demanded double coverage in the middle of the field and was a downfield presence, too, along with tall pass-catchers such as Vincent Jackson.

Chargers offensive lines weren’t dominant but usually were better than average. The blind-side protection was pretty reliable.

The AFC West, meantime, ranged from mediocre to poor in most years.

Temperate weather was another ally to Rivers, who, unlike Eli Manning, or Tom Brady, or Rodgers, seldom had to throw in cold, wet or windy conditions. The difference can be extreme.

Of course, the pendulum eventually moved the other way.

With the talent drain from the San Diego offense in the last two years, Rivers’ job became a lot more difficult.

Rivers has done an admirable job of staying in the lineup, one of his great strengths.

He is still a tremendous touch passer.

But he also has committed the most turnovers (45) in the NFL since the 2011 opener. I don’t think anyone now would rank him with the likes of Rodgers, who leads the NFL in sacks taken but continues to win games with an injury-besieged team.

I think the Chargers can still win a lot of games with Philip Rivers if they firm up the offensive line, strengthen the running game and develop other pass-catchers, such as Vincent Brown and Ladarius Green.

Heck, if Peyton Manning ever starts to act his age, in a year or two, Rivers again could be the best quarterback in the AFC West. The Raiders and Chiefs will be trying to develop a quarterback, and good luck finding a franchise passer in this year’s draft class. Not only isn’t there an Andrew Luck or a Robert Griffin, I question whether there’s a quarterback prospect as promising as rookie starters Ryan Tannehill or Russell Wilson.

The quarterback that Rivers most resembles in terms of size, limited mobility, passing touch and quick, unorthodox release is Bernie Kosar, the former Browns star. Kosar didn’t age well. But it was a different sport then. Quarterbacks took a lot more hits, many of them to the head. Kosar wasn’t as physically powerful as Rivers, who hasn’t missed a start since taking over for Brees in 2006.

Monday Morning Handoffs

When Ryan Mathews on Sunday again struggled to run to daylight, CBS broadcasters Marv Albert and Rich Gannon passed along an interesting quote from Turner, who when talking about his players seldom says anything that can be construed as critical. Here’s Albert: “How about Norv Turner saying Mathews just doesn’t have the proper vision – (that) you’d like to see him pick up the holes quicker.”

Two years ago, Rivers vowed to eliminate the delay of game penalties that were his fault. Well, that was a big one on Sunday in the third quarter, and it looked like Rivers should've called a timeout. As part of a dysfunctional series, it led to Nick Novak attempting and missing a 54-yard kick.

The Chargers' offensive line, assisted by Turner's design and Rivers' hard counts, had a good first half against the NFL’s No. 2 sack defense. Rivers was to blame for the only sack. He was hit in 4.1 seconds by end Carlos Dunlap, causing a fumble on first-and-goal from the 7. Tyronne Greene fared well against Geno Atkins, the NFL’s sack leader among interior linemen, before leaving late in the second quarter.

To build tempo, some NFL coaches drill their quarterbacks to throw within 2.5 seconds of the snap. Here are the clockings on the Bengals' three second-half sacks against Rivers: 1) 3.2, end Wallace Gilberry beating Michael Harris with a power move on 2nd-and-10; 2) 2.4, tackle Atkins beating Louis Vasquez with quick hands that created an angle on 2nd-and-8; 3) 2.4, the long-armed Dunlap reaching past backup Kevin Haslam and smacking Rivers in the elbow, causing a fumble that Dunlap recovered.

Reminder: Antonio Gates can still get open. Before grabbing a 19-yard pass, he had two strides on weakside linebacker Vontaze Burfect, an undrafted rookie who runs well. Gates caught six of eight passes for 49 yards.

Chargers fans told me Gates was open on the final pass play, but he wasn’t open when Rivers first looked at him. At that time, two linebackers were lurking nearby. Rivers would have had to throw him open, a dicey proposition.

On the same play, 4th-and-10 at Cincinnati’s 17, Malcom Floyd appeared to be the second option and ran a mediocre route. Setting up the interception for safety Reggie Nelson, cornerback Terence Newman gummed up the timing by forcing Floyd to take a slow outside release. The pass rush wasn’t strong, but the Bengals won in coverage across the board. Kudos to their coordinator, Mike Zimmer, who had a great final series.

Bengals pass blockers checked Melvin Ingram, who made his second start. The majority of Ingram's pass rushes came against left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who is Cincinnati’s best pass blocker. Ingram was active, making five tackles, one for a loss. He didn’t have a quarterback hurry or a sack. Shaun Phillips, the team's sack leader, had a quiet game, registering only one assisted tackle.